Sheet-music-tracking device.



O. BERGLAND.

SHEET MUSIC TRACKING DEVICE. APPLICATION FILED APR. 25, 1912.

081,422, 1 Patented Dec. 16, 1913.

I/VI ENTUR WITNESSES operated self playing musical instrument.

UNITED STATES l AjlENT OFFICE.

OARL BEBGLAND, OF EAST ORANGE, NEW JERSEY, ASSIGNOR TO LAUTER GOlVlPAhIY,

OF NEWARK, NEW JERSEY, A CORPORATION OF NEHV JERSEY.

SHEET-MUSIO-TRACKING DEVICE.

Application filed April 25.

To alt whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, CARL BERGLAND, citi zen of the United States, residing at East Orange, in the county of Essex and State of New Jersey, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Sheet-Music-Tracking Devices, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates in general to improvements in the regulating of a traveling member over an actuating mechanism and particularly relates to means'for maintaining suitable operative relation between the perforations in a music sheet and the air ducts in the tracker bar of a pneumatically \Vith the devices of this character now in' general use the adjustment of the sheet relative-to the ducts in the tracker bar are controlled either by he covering or uncovering of apertures in the tracker bar by the edge of the sheet, or, by the engagement of the edge of the sheet, beyond the tracker bar, by a bearing flange, which apertures and flange, in turn control suitable sheet shifting mechanisms. In these devices the irregularity in the aper is not detected until the same has reac ed the ducts, or. in some cases has even passed beyond the same, so that the sheet is readily shifted after the particular irregular portion has passed the ducts. In order to-overcome this difficulty, rapid working sheet shifting mechanisms have been introdurred, but it has been found that they work so 'quickly that the sheet is frequently thrown too far in the desired direction.

It is one of the objects of this invention to retain the positive sheet shifting mechanism and to provide inaugurating means so far in advance of the tracker bar that the sheet shifting mechanism will have time to functionate before the actuating parts of the sheet reaches the tracker bar.

It is a further object to simplify this inaugurating mechanism and to provide a means for delicately adjusting the engagement of the same with the edge of the music sheet and further it is an object of my invention to minimize the friction between the edge of the music sheet and the inauguratinirmechanism an'd'to so dispose the exhaust release forming a part of said mechanism relative to the traveling sheet that lost motion is eliminated and the valve is in sym- Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Deon 16, 1913.

1912; Serial No. 693,023.

pathy with any transverse Wandering of the sheet.

With the above and other objects in view as will more fully hereinafter appear, the present invention consistsin certain .novel details of construction and arrangement of parts hereinafter fully described, illustrated in the accompanying drawings, andnnore particularly pointed out in the appended claims. Reference is to be had to the accompanymg drawings, forming a part of this specification, in which similar characters indicate corresponding parts in all the figures, and in which Figure 1. is a front elevation of a portion of a self playing piano at the spool box, showing a physical embodiment of my invention, Fig. 2. is a detailed enlarged front elevation, partly in section, of a valve and sheet engaging mechanism; and Fig 3. is a detailed sectional view through the tracker bar and taken on the line 3--3 of Fig: 2.

looking in the direction of the arrow.

Rtffirrmg to the embodiment of'the in vention illustrated there is shown mounted on the suppoit A, a spool bo-X B. Suitably journaled in the side walls C and extending through the sameis the shaft D carrying the music spool E and the shaft F carrying the take-up roll G, which spool and roll carry the music sheet H over the ducts J in the tracker bar K, which parts may be arranged as is usual with instruments of this class.

Disposed on opposite sides of the sheet in advance or above the tracker bar and bearing on the edge of the sheet is a button 4. Asthis button and its attached parts are" duplicated onsoppo site sides of the sheet, but one will. be described. The button 4 forms the inner end of a plunger 5, r0- tatably mounted in a bearing 6 extending through the side walls C of the spool box B. The outer end of the plunger 5 is formed into a bearing or stop head 7 of cork or other suitable material, As shown more particularly in Fig. 3 the edge of the paper contacts with the rounded face 8 of the button 4 in advance of its axis of rotation so that the paper traveling sheet H passing over the face of this button rotates the same thereby reducing the friction between the button and sheet.

Bearing on the outer face or the head 7 is the end of an adjusting screw 9 in screw threaded engagement with the depending arm 10 ot a bell-crank lever valve 11 fulcrumed at 12 to a bracket 13 suitably supported from the wall C, The horizontal. arm 14 of the valve 11 has a depending valve head 15 adapted to close the outlet arm 10 may be made as long as desired so that a slight transverse movement of the music sheet will be reduced at the head 15 to positively lift said head from the outlet 16. Further by adjusting the screw 9 the normal contact of the button 4: with the edge of the music sheet may be varied at will.

It will be noted that the outlet 16 from the pneumatic 20 and the valve mechanism are within the closed compartment and not open to the outside atmosphere thereby greatly protecting said pnemna tic from the infiltration of dust.

As is usual with devices 01" this character the transverse movement of the sheet H on the tracker bar K is rostoredto its normal condition relative to the ducts J by moving the spool E in the direction 0 aposite to the movement of the music sheet. lVhile any well known sheet shifting device may be used I have illustrated a construction in which an arm 23 extendsirom a movable part of the pneumatic 20 and has a yoke 21 straddling a collar 22 on the shaft D.

Releasing: the pressure, positive or negative, in the pneumatic from either one or the other of the chambers will shiftthe shaft l and spool E thereby shifting the music sheet lrl on the tracker bar K. Any movement of these parts necessarily takes time so that, in order that the music sheet be in pro-per'position on the tracker bar, the sheet shitting, inaugurating button 4:, is positioned a sul'licient distance in advance of the tracker bar so as to insure the set ting of the sheet in its normal operative position by the time the part there I which has actuated the button reaches the tracker bar.

Having vthus described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent:

1. The combination of a tracker bar and a tnveling music sheet, meansincluding a.

pneumatic for maintaining said sheet in operative position relative to said tracker bar, and a bell crank lever valve cord-rolling said pneumatic, a plunger having an end contacting with the edge of the travelin sheet and the other end contacting" with an arm of said lever, and means regulating the contact of said plunger with said arm thereby to adjust the bearing of said plunger on the edge of said sheet.

In a self-playing piano, sheet shifting means including a freely mounted revolving and reciprocatingshaft having sheet e11 means on one end and a valve'engaging; means on the other end and avalve adjustable relative to said shaft.

3.. In a player piano, the combination with a traveling music sheet, of pneumatic means for actuating said sheet transversely of its line of travel, said. means including a valve opening, a valve in the form of a bell. crank lever having a pendant arm'and copies of this patent may he obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Gommissioner of Patents,

'Weshington, D. C. i 

